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The Injustice of Allah’s Punishment of the People of Sodom and Gomorrah

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Written by Jake Neuman

Created: 13 August 2017

Hits: 15040

The Old Testament tells us that God destroyed the entire populations of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their supposed sexual decadence. Many reasons have been advanced over time as to why God annihilated the entire population including young children, and their homosexual indulgence has been cited to be the dominant reason. Killing even the little children for the sin of the grown-ups makes it a great historical injustice.

The Old Testament is an anecdotal historical document that records different stories of the tribal Hebrew people, many concerning their prophets, from the memories and mouths of human authors. The Quran, supposedly the word of God, gives a more elaborate account of what actually happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in these verses 7:80, 11:77, 15:59, 21:71, 26:161, 27:55, 29:26, 37:133, and 54:33.

The Quran recounts that the people of Lot were an immoral and shameless people. Homosexuality was a part of their life, and they encouraged vice and corruption. So God sent Prophet Lot to the people of this city to guide them to the right path and worship God alone. But the people of Sodom were content with their corrupt ways. Prophet Lot pointed their sinful activities and unnatural sexual behavior, and admonished them. The people found Lot’s advice and admonishments annoying and his words were ignored. For example, Lot told them:

“Will you not fear God and obey Him? Verily! I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. So fear God and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it (my Message) my reward is only from the Lord of all that exists.” (Quran 26:161-164)

The Quran rejects the genetic reason for homosexuality prevalent among all peoples in saying that the people of Sodom were the first to practise this sexual aberration, and condemns them as a transgressing people:

“Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds [i.e., peoples]? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people." (7:80-1)

“We also sent Lot. He said to his people: ‘Do you commit lewdness such as no people in creation committed before you? For you practise your lusts on men in preference to women: you are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.’ …And we rained down on them a shower of brimstone: Then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime!” (Qur’an 7:80)

Moral degradation of the people of Sodom had reached such a level that they no longer had any shame. When Lot insisted that they change their evil ways, they wanted to drive him out of town by saying:

“If you cease not, O Lot! Verily, you will be one of those who are driven out!” (Quran 26:167)

Lot openly expressed his anger and fury at their wicked deeds, and threatened God’s punishment, at which the people of Sodom challenged him back:

“Bring God’s torment upon us if you are one of the truthful.” (Quran 29:29)

Lot was overwhelmed with despair and gave up on his mission to guide the people of Sodom: "My Lord! Save me and my family from what they do." (Quran 26:169)

At that, God decided to save Lot and his family, and resolved to destroy the people of Sodom:

But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! (Quran 26:172-173; also see Quran 29:31-32)

Elsewhere the Quran describes the punishment as an awful cry that turned the town upside down and rained stones of baked clay. (Quran 15:73-74)

While this is how the Quran describe as to how Allah punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for their supposed sexual sins, not even sparing the little children. If something like this really happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was nothing but a volcanic eruption that covered the two cities with molten lava that turned the people and everything in those cities into stones. As to why such catastrophic tragedy happened to the people of cities, the survivors or the people of nearby communities blamed the sexual debauchery those people supposedly indulged in. In the Quran, Muhammad simply gave a plagiarized fabricated account and reasoning of the Old Testament story of the catastrophe in Sodom.